The top five dark horses in the league this season: The Western Spurs and Suns are on the list, and three of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference are spoilers.

As of November 24, the new NBA season, the league's teams have played nearly 20 games. Now most of the top players have found their form and begun to work hard to chase results. The league's ranking is now more reasonable than at the beginning of the season. At the beginning of the season, like the 76ers and Bulls, they reached the top of the division because of their good schedule and good luck. Now that the strength of the top-ranked teams has been verified through tough battles, having said that, let's take a look at the five dark horse teams so far this season.

Spurs

The Spurs' record so far this season is 11 wins and 5 losses, fifth in the Western Conference, only 1 game behind the Lakers, who are second in the Western Conference. The Spurs' record this season is really unexpected, considering the recent Wenban has missed 4 games due to injury. As a result, the Spurs still achieved a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. Perhaps from here we should recognize the ability of Spurs coach Mickey Johnson. He has always been underestimated. He has created a good team basketball for this team.

In the recent past, they have achieved very good results relying solely on Fox. Among them, role players such as Cornette, Sohan and Barnes have all been maximized by him. The Spurs are definitely capable of reaching the Western Conference playoffs this season. Castle and Wenban have fulfilled their talents this season, and rookie Harper also performed very well. When the three return, in terms of their talents, I think the Thunder will not dare to take this guarantee against their team in the Western Conference.

Suns

The Suns' record so far this season is 11 wins and 6 losses. It is really surprising that the Suns can perform like this this season. After all, this team was considered to be a bad team at the beginning of the regular season because the team traded away Durant and bought out Beal. Because there was still dead money in the buyout, the lineup looked ordinary, but for such a seemingly mediocre team, they played with the momentum of the Iron-Blooded Legion.

The team is very tough and resilient. The Dillon they traded and the Goodwin they introduced have changed the team culture for the Suns. They are now a team that is fearless and willing to do everything they can to win. The Suns are now sixth in the Western Conference. Their record is better than the Timberwolves and Warriors. Although it is unlikely to reach the playoffs in the end, the team has the ability to rush into the play-offs and cause trouble to other Western teams.

Pistons

Last season, the Pistons were a playoff team in the Eastern Conference, but no one expected that they would be so strong. Since the start of the season, the team has 14 wins and 2 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference. Looking at the entire league, the Thunder have a better record than them. The reason why the Pistons are able to achieve such a record is mainly because their defensive system is so good. Like the Rockets last season, this team relies on defense to gain a foothold, so they can win even if their core is absent.

The young players of the Pistons have also gained more goals this season. Duren, Orsa and Holland can all give Cunningham more help. In addition, Cunningham is even better.

Raptors

The Raptors did not reach the play-offs last season. As a result, they are now 12 wins and 5 losses, ranking second in the Eastern Conference. It is really unexpected that the Raptors can rise this season, and seeing the Raptors The Pelicans are probably the most uncomfortable with the rise. They were still able to compete in the Western Conference playoffs before, but they lost Ingram. Now the Western Conference is on the decline. On the other hand, the Raptors have directly transformed from a weakling to a powerful player in the Eastern Conference. Recently, they have won 7 consecutive victories.

The Raptors' rise depends not only on Ingram, but also on the talents of Barnes, Quickley and Barrett. This team is following the way they built the team when they won the championship in 19. The team has accumulated a large number of outstanding forward players. Although they do not have the strength to compete for the championship this season, they have a chance to maintain the top five rankings in the Eastern Conference. The most painful thing in the Eastern Conference now is the Knicks and Cavaliers. They promised to be the Eastern Conference hegemons, but now they cannot make the top two.

Hawks

The Hawks have always been an Eastern Conference play-off team, and this season Trae Young missed many games due to injuries. Under such circumstances, they broke out. Sometimes the control variable method will try out some players, such as Trae Young. Without him, the Hawks played suffocating defense, and everyone played team basketball. Many players have fulfilled their talents and proved themselves, such as Jaylen Johnson, Okongwu, etc.

If we continue to play like this, I think Trae Young may not be able to come back, and the team may choose to trade him away. After all, the team's record is not good when he is with him. So far, the Eagles have a record of 11 wins and 7 losses, fifth in the Eastern Conference, and they are only 1 game away from the third-place Cavaliers. The Heat are fourth in the Eastern Conference, and they should have been included in this list, but considering that they were a veteran team in the Eastern Conference in the past and also had Spoelstra, they were not included.